Shoes

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is a shoe having a foot-sole-contacting surface on which air passages extending along a plantar artery are formed to allow ventilation and prevent compression of the plantar artery. The shoe includes an upper having a space for accommodating a foot of a wearer, and a shoe sole including an insole accommodated in the space. The insole has a surface in contact with a foot sole of the wearer, and a plurality of air passages is engraved on the surface of the insole so as to extend along a plantar artery projected onto the foot sole.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a shoe, and more particularly, to a shoe having a foot-sole-contacting surface on which air passages extending along a plantar artery are formed to allow ventilation and prevent compression of the plantar artery.

BACKGROUND ART

A shoe is made up of an upper, a shoe sole, a shoe lace and the like. Most shoes such as sneakers, leather shoes, work shoes, school indoor shoes and the like have a closed space which is surrounded by an upper and through which an air cannot be circulated when the shoes are worn by a wearer. Therefore, such shoes are poor in breathability. The shoes with poor breathability have a lot of unpleasant odors due to the sweat secreted from the foot and may cause foot diseases such as athlete's foot or the like due to bacterial infection. Particularly, in the summer when sweat is secreted a lot, the sweat stays inside a shoe. Thus, the foot tends to become ulcerated, thereby causing skin damage or causing athlete's foot by the breeding of bacteria.

Meanwhile, in order to improve the breathability of a shoe, there have been developed various types of shoes that can supply and circulate an air when a wearer wears the shoes and walks. Korean Patent No. 10-1164463 discloses a shoe with an air circulation function, which includes a shoe sole having air passages formed thereon, an inner cushion configured to provide a restoration force during walking, a porous valve plate disposed on the inner cushion, and a valve configured to discharge an air to an air chamber. As the inner cushion is contracted and restored, a contaminated air existing inside the shoe is discharged along the air passages into the air chamber of the shoe sole. Korean Patent No. 10-0462809 discloses a shoe insert for external air introduction includes a check valve and an air pump mounted on the shoe insert or insole. By the operation of the air pump, an air is supplied from the back of a shoe insert to the front thereof along a flow path and then discharged toward the toe through a discharge hole. The check valve allows an air to enter the shoe through an inlet formed on the side surface of the shoe sole.

The shoe ventilation structures as described above may lead to an increase in manufacturing cost due to the complicated structure of the shoe sole. In addition, as the inner cushion or the air pump is embedded in the shoe sole, there is a problem of greatly reducing the durability and reliability of the shoe sole. Therefore, a demand has existed for a shoe capable of implementing a ventilation function while maintaining the durability without significantly changing a shoe sole structure and capable of improving the wearing comfort.

SUMMARY

An object of the present invention is to provide a novel shoe capable of satisfying the aforementioned demand.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a shoe including: an upper having a space configured to accommodate a foot of a wearer; and a shoe sole including an insole accommodated in the space, wherein the insole has a surface configured to make contact with a foot sole of the wearer, and a plurality of air passages is engraved on the surface of the insole so as to extend along a plantar artery projected onto the foot sole.

In the shoe according to the present invention, the shoe sole may include a midsole attached to a lower surface of the upper and an outsole attached to a lower surface of the midsole, the insole may be accommodated in the space so as to be separable from the midsole, and the air passages may be formed so as to be connected to each other.

According to the shoe of the present invention, the air passages extending along the plantar artery are formed on the surface of the insole so that an air flow space can be formed between the insole and the foot sole. Therefore, sweat, moisture and the like can be effectively removed to prevent foot odor. In addition, skin damage, athlete's foot and the like can be prevented to prevent foot diseases. Moreover, when the wearer walks, the compression of the plantar artery can be prevented by the air passages to improve the blood circulation. This makes it possible to enhance the foot health, improve the wearing comfort of the shoe, reduce the fatigue of the foot sole, and significantly improve the functionality and practicality of the shoe.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a shoe according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a bottom view exemplarily showing the plantar artery along which air passages of an insole of the shoe according to the present invention extend.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the insole of the shoe according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view of the insole of the shoe according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Other objects, specific advantages and novel features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description and preferred embodiments associated with the accompanying drawings.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the shoe according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First, a sneaker is shown in FIG. 1 as an example of the shoe according to the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, the shoe according to the present invention includes an upper 10 configured to surround and accommodate the wearer's foot, and a shoe sole 20 attached to the lower surface of the upper 10. The upper 10 is an upper portion of the shoe that serves to maintain the appearance and shape of the shoe and protect the instep and the joint of a wearer. The upper 10 defines a space 12 for accommodating the wearer's foot. The upper 10 may be made of leather, artificial leather, synthetic fibers or the like.

The shoe sole 20 is a lower portion of the shoe and is composed of a midsole 22, an outsole 24 and an insole 26. The outsole 24, the midsole 22 and the insole 26 may be made of rubber, synthetic rubber, or synthetic resin having flexibility. The midsole 22 may be attached to the lower surface of the upper 10 by sewing or adhesive bonding. The midsole 22 is interposed between the outsole 24 and the insole 26 in a sandwich form and serves as a buffer for absorbing and dispersing the shocks applied to the foot during walking and running. The outsole 24 is a portion that makes contact with the ground. The outsole 24 serves to prevent slipping and give stability by the pattern thereof during walking and exercise. The outsole 24 may be attached to the lower surface of the midsole 22 by adhesive bonding. In some embodiments, the midsole 22 may be integrally formed with the outsole 24.

The insole 26 is a portion removably disposed on the inner bottom surface of the shoe and serves to prevent fatigue of the foot and prevent the odor and athlete's foot caused by sweat. The insole 26 is often called a shoe insert. The insole 26 has a front end 26 a adjacent to the toes, a rear end 26 b adjacent to the heel, edges 26 c configured to connect the front end 26 a and the rear end 26 b, and a surface 26 d configured to make contact with the foot sole 2.

Referring to FIGS. 1 through 4, a plurality of air passages 28 is engraved on the surface 26 d of the insole 26 so as to extend along the plantar artery 4 projected onto the foot sole 2 or the surface 26 d. The air passages 28 are formed on the surface 26 d so as to be connected to each other. The ends of the air passages 28 adjacent to the front end 26 a, the rear end 26 b and the edges 26 c are closed. The air passages 28 are formed on the surface 26 d in the form of a channel or groove to form a space that allows an air to flow when the insole 26 makes close contact with the foot sole 2. In some embodiments, the air passages 28 may be formed to extend along the instep artery projected onto the surface 26 d as well as the plantar artery 4. As shown in FIG. 4, the cross sections of the air passages 28 may be formed in various shapes such as a quadrangle, a semicircle, a trapezoid and the like.

In the shoe according to the present invention having the configuration as described above, an air can flow through the air passages 28 that form a space between the shoe sole 20 and the foot sole 2, whereby sweat, moisture and the like are effectively removed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent foot odor. In addition, skin damage, athlete's foot and the like can be prevented to prevent foot diseases.

On the other hand, if the air passages 28 are formed such that they do not extend along the plantar artery 4 and stay out of alignment with the plantar artery 4, the plantar artery 4 is compressed by the air passages 28 while the wearer walks. This may deteriorate blood circulation, reduce the wearing comfort of the shoe and increase the degree of fatigue of the foot sole 2. The shoe according to the present invention does not compress the plantar artery 4 during the walking of the wearer because the air passages 28 are formed on the surface 26 d of the insole 26 so as to extend along the plantar artery 4. Therefore, the blood circulation of the foot sole 2 can be improved to promote the foot health, improve the wearing comfort of the shoe, and reduce the degree of fatigue of the foot sole 2.

The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of the preferred embodiments of the present invention. The scope of the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments. Various changes, modifications or substitutions may be made by those skilled in the art within the spirit and scope of the present invention. It is to be understood that such embodiments fall within the scope of the present invention. 

1. A shoe comprising: an upper having a space for accommodating a foot of a wearer; and a shoe sole including an insole accommodated in the space, wherein the insole has a surface in contact with a foot sole of the wearer, and a plurality of air passages is engraved on the surface of the insole so as to extend along a plantar artery projected onto the foot sole.
 2. The shoe of claim 1, wherein the shoe sole includes a midsole attached to a lower surface of the upper and an outsole attached to a lower surface of the midsole, the insole is accommodated in the space so as to be separable from the midsole, and the air passages are formed so as to be connected to each other.
 3. The shoe of claim 1, wherein the insole has a front end adjacent to toes, a rear end adjacent to a heel, and edges configured to connect the front end and the rear end, and the air passages are closed at ends thereof adjacent to the front end, the rear end and the edges.
 4. The shoe of claim 2, wherein the insole has a front end adjacent to toes, a rear end adjacent to a heel, and edges configured to connect the front end and the rear end, and the air passages are closed at ends thereof adjacent to the front end, the rear end and the edges. 